Tag Archives: produce

How Our CSA is Saving Us Money

Each week, we get a bounty of organic produce for only $15. The result is that we are eating healthier meals and saving money at the same time. After a few weeks of participating in the CSA, I’ve learned a few things that can eliminate waste and increase the benefit of the savings that we have been experiencing. Here are my tips. Because the exact type and amount of produce can vary by week, it is important to be flexible and creative with meal planning. As I unpack the week’s supply, I start brainstorming how I will use what we … Continue reading →

Food Labeling Law Goes into Effect… Sort Of

We’ve survived contaminated spinach and hunted down possibly contaminated tomatoes. Here in the United States, we finally have protection in the form of federal food labeling laws… right? As of September 30th, many types of meat, produce, and other foods will be labeled with country of origin. But not all foods. Some types of food will be exempt from the labeling laws — foods that are processed (like roasted peanuts), foods that are mixed together (like frozen veggies or salad mix), and meats that are breaded (like chicken breasts or fish filets). The idea of country of origin labeling has … Continue reading →

Tracking Your Produce

Not surprisingly, there are plans in the works to make fresh produce more traceable in the wake of the recent outbreak of food poisoning from some types of raw tomato. The Center for Science in the Public Interest asked the FDA to institute some kind of food safety plan — including how they would trace their produce — nearly two years ago. The Food and Drug Administration hasn’t ruled (yet) on the petition, but there has been some progress. The FDA has asked Congress for funding for food safety programs for 2009 and forward. Making produce more traceable is just … Continue reading →

Slowly Hunting Down Bad Tomatoes

The recent outbreak of salmonellosis from tomatoes has officially affected 228 people in twenty-three different states. I say “officially” because there may be other cases that were not reported. Some experts estimate that for every reported case of food poisoning, another forty go unreported. Look back at the next most recent veggie problem: the contaminated spinach in 2006. The FDA was aided in that case by patients who still had bags of spinach with UPC codes that led from the store to the supplier and eventually to the field where the greens had been contaminated. Now think about tomatoes. Most … Continue reading →

Super Healthy, Super Exotic Fruits

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Ready for a taste adventure that’s good for you? Apples, bananas, and oranges are tasty and healthy, but you can get many of the same health benefits from more exotic fruits. Fresh figs are chock full of potassium — six figs have nearly 900 milligrams of potassium, which can help lower blood pressure. In fact, six figs have almost twice as much potassium as the average banana does. Figs are also a good source of calcium — a six fig serving has as much calcium as a half a cup of milk. Lychee nuts are an antioxidant bonanza — one … Continue reading →

Tip: Buy produce in bulk

In my ongoing quest to find the cheapest sources of organic produce, I made a few discoveries in the past month. I think we all know that buying in bulk can often be a great way to save some bucks. But we don’t typically think of that principle working for produce, do we? Think again! I recently started going to The City Market in Kansas City. Read more about that in my recent blog post: Produce Brokers. This is the type of place where you can do a little bit of negotiating. So here’s where the bulk buying came into … Continue reading →

Produce Brokers

I recently started going to The City Market in Kansas City. Once or twice a week, they do have a farmer’s market there, but every single day of every single week (year-round!), they have the “city market.” Now, I don’t know exactly how to describe it, but as I understand it, the vendors are produce brokers, meaning they buy wholesale and supply the grocery stores. I don’t know much about it; all I know is that the produce is DIRT CHEAP! Of course, when I first went, I had to keep reminding myself that most of the produce is conventional, … Continue reading →

Healthy Frozen Produce

Fresh vegetables and fruits are best, right? Only if you eat them as soon as they’re picked. As soon as fruits and vegetables are picked, they start to lose nutrients. So what’s better than fresh produce? Frozen produce! Freezing fruits and vegetables slows nutrient loss. Here’s an example: fresh broccoli loses more than fifty percent of its vitamin C content in just seven days. Frozen broccoli loses only ten percent of its vitamin C content in a year! Other good news? Some antioxidant and mineral levels actually INCREASE after freezing. Your best bet for getting the most nutritional impact from … Continue reading →

Keep Food Fresh Longer

I could just scream. I just threw away a container of fresh strawberries that cost me early $4. What a waste. I bought them on Sunday and when I went to use them today there were maybe four berries that were worth saving. Granted, it’s not strawberry season, but still, for $4 you’d think I could have salvaged a few more. I did examine the container before purchasing it and can’t understand how they spoiled so quickly. I know I’m not alone in my frustration. According to one consumer advocacy group, the average American discards $300 worth of fresh produce … Continue reading →

Recipes For End Of The Summer Produce

Now that you know the health benefits associated with consuming all that end of the summer produce that seems to be growing out of your ears it’s time to put your cooking skills to the test. The following are some quick, easy and delicious ways to make the most of your bumper crops of tomatoes, peppers and squash. A word about peppers and squash: Peppers can be stored in the refrigerator produce drawer up to one week or frozen whole for later use. Meanwhile, squash should stored unwashed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to one week. … Continue reading →